評議員からのメッセージ

Paul McCarthy, Ph.D.

People sometimes claim that the current generation of young people in Japan is uninterested in public, and especially international, affairs.
I know that that is not true, certainly not of the youthful elite who will be leading Japan over the next thirty to forty years. Given the great changes in the international scene that have occurred recently and are bound to continue, the challenge of coming to know, understand, and get along with a great variety of nations with different languages, cultures, and value-systems is probably the most important thing for young people like yourselves to expend your talents and energies on. I wish you great success in your endeavors in that direction.

Leng Leng THANG

Associate Professor, National University of Singapore

Youth are the leaders of tomorrow! I As someone who has benefited from the various international youth exchanges when I was young, I firmly believe that the opportunities for cultural exchanges in platforms such as the Youth Forum Japan will expand the horizon for every youth participant.

With new forms of media and the internet, youth today are certainly more knowledgeable of the world around them. However, the increasing norm in meetings over cyberspace has made the opportunities to meet face to face for exchanges through special platforms such as the Youth Forum Japan much more valuable. The frank and in depth dialogues among youth during these meetings have been enriching and challenging to our minds. They show that youth are equally concerned with global issues and they have great enthusiasm to work towards a better world.

I congratulate Youth Forum JAPAN for your achievements and I especially respect the seniors among them ・those who have initiated this idea of bringing together youth from different countries – your effort to reach out across generations and your firm believe in maximizing the potential of youth both in Japan and internationally are noble. I wish Youth Forum JAPAN many more successful years and strong, longlasting friendship among its participants and members!